Paging Dr. Obama: Looking Ahead to Government-Run Health Care

President Barack Obama intends to remake society mainly by shifting American wealth from one group of people to another and from one priority to another. The most devastating shift will happen stealthily and steadily so that the priorities can't shift back because too much government dependence will forbid it. That dependence will happen in the form of government-run health care.

What will be traded in this bargain will be national defense. Defense spending will diminish. Missile shields in Europe will be traded for a waiting list for appendix removal in America. Some view this as a good thing because they don't see the value of defense spending anyway. However, America is building a European defense shield precisely because they have traded national security for social programs. Who will defend America once America does the same? Meanwhile, China ups defense spending by 15%.

The question for people today is whether government-run health care will be the panacea many hope for. Like anything run by the government, it's doubtful. Thankfully, voters seem to recognize the potential problems. From the Wall Street Journal:

On health care, the poll flashed warning signs for the administration.

Forty-nine percent said they were willing to pay higher taxes so that everyone can have health insurance, compared with 66% who said the same in March 1993, when President Bill Clinton was embarking on his ultimately unsuccessful health-reform effort. That underscores why the administration is focused on cutting costs, not covering the uninsured.

People have reasons to be worried. A national database will invade health care consumer's privacy:

The package says individuals are not required to get services from people who do electronic health records. But doesn’t that run counter to what the stated goal of everyone in by 2014? Why, you would think it does. But don’t worry yourself. You don’t have to send your information in. Nope. They won’t make you do it. They are going to make your doctor do it. The bill requires the doctors to. Doctors who don’t will receive less and less money for the patients they see.

It’s right there on page 680: “with respect to covered professional services furnished by an eligible professional during 2015 or any subsequent payment year, if the eligible professional is not a meaningful EHR user (as determined under subsection (o)(2)) for a reporting period for the year, the fee schedule amount for such services furnished by such professional during the year (including the fee schedule amount for purposes of determining a payment based on such amount) shall be equal to the applicable percent of the fee schedule amount that would otherwise apply to such services under this subsection.”